Wondering which antidepressant your loved one is on, and how well it works.

My hubby quit taking Prozac about six months ago (?) due to some developing issues with severe stomach pain/gastritis. After a few of these events landed him in the emergency room, he quit cold turkey. He mentioned it to his PCP but was told just to start taking it again.

After a really stressful summer and fall, and some issues with increasing general aches and pains, he is despondent and definitely showing symptoms of major depression. He needs to get back on something, but we aren't sure what to try. I feel like we need to be proactive with his PCP, since we've broached the subject of changing his antidepressant a couple times before and gotten blown off.

I'm having a hard time right now as well and saw my own doc, who prescribed Cymbalta, which is supposed to be good for both depression and anxiety, as well as pain. I'm wondering if that might be a good option for him as well.

Seeking any other experiences with antidepressants in PD. Are yours on an SSRI? A SNRI? Something else? Any pluses or minuses?

My husband has been on bupropion, the generic for Wellbutrin for many years. He takes the long acting, and is on the highest dose - 450 mg/day. I think it's been effective with his depression, and it is supposed to help with focus and energy levels. There is a higher risk of seizures, especially over the 450/day threshhold, and in conjunction with Amantadine, which many persons with Parkinson's take. I have not seen negative psychiatric side effects. I have ranted on this forum about the horrendous impact the dopamine agonist, requip, had on my husband and on my family, so for me to give a cautious approval for a drug is saying a lot - but at least for my husband, this one has worked very well, in my opinion.

First, I am sorry you are having a tough time yourself, hang in there. You can't help your spouse if you don't take care of yourself. How often do we read and post this and it sounds so trite but it's true. I hope you are able to do this.

Second, there is a very interesting thread about SNRIs on another forum and it is interesting because it addresses the very strong probability that PD is not just about dopamine but also norepinephrine and other neurotransmitters as well. Makes sense: if one thing is depleted, the balance of everything is going to be affected as the ratios have changed.

SNRI affects those neurotransmitters but SSRI do not....generally speaking. Here is the link to that thread and it may help you figure out what is best for you. One of the posters shares what he takes which might be a good place to start. Remember, too, ASK YOUR PHARMACIST! They know how these drugs work way better than a doctor almost always....

Thanks, all. That gives me a good place to start when we go see his PCP. I think the antidepressant piece is the one most easily forgotten.

We are going through MAJOR life changes right now, and I think it would be foolish not to take all the help we can get. The last straw this week was the Thanksgiving holiday - a blessed time, for sure, but a houseful for dinner itself and all of the kids/spouses coming to stay with us for five days was way, way, WAY too stressful. They've expressed their desire to come for Christmas, and we are seriously thinking about going somewhere else just the two of us.

We're also talking total retirement sometime in the next few months, because work has gotten too challenging and is draining him to an extent that is unacceptable. Lining up our financial ducks, figuring out how he's going to leave his workload to me (who is next in line at work), deciding what he's going to do to keep fresh at home...even whether or not we are going to stay in this house forever. All these things, plus an upcoming art show in the spring, have taken their toll on our emotional reserves. He is terribly burned out, and I know that I am. That's why I went in to see my doc to get back on something that can help. I can't help him if I'm mired in my own inertia.

I just spent an interesting hour going through that thread on SNRIs. That's food for thought, and makes a whole lot of sense. Let's see if we can get his doc to agree...